The Old Man of Storr: Skye’s Great Rock Pinnacle — and the Honest Truth About Parking

The Old Man of Storr: Skye’s Great Rock Pinnacle — and the Honest Truth About Parking

⚠ Before you go — the car park problem (our own experience)

We’ll be straight with you, because nobody else seems to be: we drove up to the Old Man of Storr and couldn’t stop. The car park was completely jammed — full to the gates, cars nosed onto every verge, and nowhere safe to leave a vehicle, let alone a motorhome. So we drove on. The Storr is one of the most popular spots in all of Scotland, and its car park simply cannot cope with the numbers in season. If you want to actually get in, the only reliable answer is to arrive very early (before about 9am) or in the evening; through the middle of a summer day you may well be turned back, as we were. Roadside parking on the A855 here is dangerous and increasingly moved on — please don’t add to the problem. Plan for it, or you may end up admiring the Old Man from the road, same as us.

Overview

The Old Man of Storr is the single most famous landmark on the Isle of Skye: a lone pinnacle of rock, some 55 metres high, standing proud on the great Trotternish ridge above Loch Leathan. It’s the picture that sells Skye to the world — and, as we found, that fame has a cost. This is an honest guide to what it is, the walk up to it, and how to give yourself a fighting chance of actually seeing it.

Where it is

The Storr rises above the A855 about 6½ miles north of Portree, on the eastern side of the Trotternish peninsula — on the way up towards Staffin and the Quiraing. The pay-and-display car park sits right below it at the roadside, with the path climbing from there.

What it is — a slow-motion landslide

The Old Man is part of the Storr landslip — the largest such landslip in Britain. Millions of years ago, thick basalt lava flows were laid down over weaker rocks; over the ages the whole hillside slumped and slid, leaving behind a chaos of toppled pinnacles and cliffs. The Old Man is the greatest of these survivors: a slender finger of rock left standing when everything around it collapsed. The jumbled bowl of pinnacles behind it is known as The Sanctuary. It has appeared in films from Prometheus to The BFG, and no wonder — it looks like nowhere else on earth.

The walk

Reaching the Old Man is a proper little hill walk, not a stroll. From the car park a path climbs steadily — roughly 2¼ miles (3.8km) there and back, with a stiff ascent of around 300 metres, taking most people 1½ to 2 hours. The lower section has been upgraded with a good stone path, but higher up it’s rougher and can be very muddy, slippery and exposed to the wind. Wear proper boots, take a layer, and don’t underestimate it. The reward is to stand right beneath the pinnacles, with enormous views out over Loch Leathan, the Sound of Raasay and the island of Raasay beyond — on a clear day, one of the great views of Skye.

Making it work — our honest advice

  • Go early or late. The car park fills by mid-morning in season and often stays full all day. Before 9am, or an evening visit, gives you the best chance of a space — and the best light, and far fewer people on the path.
  • Have a plan B. If it’s full when you arrive, don’t risk an unsafe verge — carry on to Staffin, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing, or down to Portree, and come back at a quieter hour.
  • Motorhomes & larger vans: spaces are tight and in huge demand — this is not a place to count on parking a big vehicle in the middle of the day.

Nearby

  • Staffin & the Quiraing — the other great Trotternish walk, with Kilt Rock and the dinosaur coast — and often easier to park at.
  • Portree — the island capital, just down the road.
  • Kilmuir — the Museum of Island Life and Flora MacDonald’s grave, further north.

Sources